The Beautiful Billionaire

ESTELLE

“Hey, honey.”

I hummed to Mom’s soothing voice and the fresh scent of flowers. The room smelled of roses.

When I was younger, I got a stomach bug and was absent from classes for the whole day. Mom was a worrier when I was a kid, and I heard this tone before until I remembered talking to Kye. The last thing I knew, I was so dizzy.

“Mom?” I quickly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the ceiling in the bedroom.

“Hey. Easy there, honey.”

“What happened?” I dragged myself to lean against the headboard and took the glass she offered.

“You collapsed.” The worry in her voice was evident.

“Oh, my God.” My hand came to my tummy.

“You’re okay. The baby is okay. Doctor Chesca was here, and she did a bedside ultrasound. She said not to stress out.”

I drank the water and nodded. “Sometimes I’m so selfish.”

“Enough of that. Someone here wants to see you.”

“Who?” I placed the glass on the bedside.

“Hey, preggy.” Willa walked in.

“Oh, my God. What are you doing here?” I was already beaming. I thought it was Christmas morning.

She sat on the bed and hugged me tight. “I should have come sooner.”

“You’re here now, right?”

“How are you?”

“I’m not good because I just collapsed and haven’t heard from your brother. I’m worried, but at the same time, I have to take care of myself.”

“I’ll stay until my brother comes back.”

“I don’t wanna burden you.”

She rolled her eyes. Her smile never faded. “You’re my sister now. Shut up and move to the side.”

I chuckled as I dragged myself to my side.

“Are you dating anyone?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

She snorted. “I think Gabe warned all the male population to stay away from me. Everyone said hi to me and recognized I was the sister of Gabe Linden, and they would not see me again.”

“I think it’s not because you’re Gabe Linden’s baby sis, but because you’re intimidating as hell. You’re like a rock star, Willa. Tall, gorgeous, plays tennis like a pro, you’re a martial arts enthusiast, art expert, connoisseur. You’re a badass. I mean, you should edit your Ig profile to a pottery maker, pizza lover, and purrent.”

She laughed out loud. Her voice echoed. The bed shook. All I could do was stare at her. She really laughed like her brother.

She suddenly stopped. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I think I’m just lucky to have you as my sister-in-law. You and I got along quickly. You never looked at me like a brat or a rich kid.”

“You’re not a rich kid. You are rich. And when I first saw you, you’re far from a spoiled brat or gregarious, or condescending and pompous, who doesn’t hold her own bag, doesn’t wear cheap clothes. I saw you as a woman who got jealous of me and thought I and my brother were together. Ew”. She cringed in the end, making me giggle.

“Wait. You knew?”

“Even blind people could see that.”

My eyes widened. “For real?”

“That you both into each other? Why do you think I called my father that night? I said, Dad, I think we’ll hear a wedding bell soon. Your son just found his girl.”

I laughed more, and it felt good.

“Dad was like, oh, Gabe?” she mimicked Jaymes’ voice. “I laughed at him. I said, Dad, do you have another son I didn’t know about? He said it’s about damn time. I’ve figured out your brother for a while now. He wanted to settle down, but his friends thought he was not looking for relationships.”

I smiled. My chest squeezed tight. “I missed him.”

Willa turned to me. “I missed him too. I felt like my life was always hanging by a thread every time he was out there, but I got used to that because he was good at what he did. I just found out why he wanted to see Jasper. I had no idea he was the donor. Now I understand, and I would have done the same thing.”

“Thanks for being here. You really lift me up.”

“I’m happy to be here, too.” She held my hand and squeezed it.

“So, I was thinking. Since you’re here now, maybe you can help me choose the color for the-”

“Nursery? I’d love that.” Her eyes lit up. She really made me happy for a while and reminded me a lot of Linden.

“Great.” I got up from the bed.

“Are you sure you’re okay to get up?”

“Yup. I’m feeling fine.” I put my slippers on.

“You’re gonna tell me quickly if you’re feeling even a little dizzy, okay?” Willa followed me to the other room.

“I will.” I picked up the color palette on the floor. The blanket Mom and I used days ago was still there.

“So, did you pick a color?”

“Mom and I chose these colors. These three types of blue, and I was thinking pastel if we’re having a girl.”

“I will give you something.” She joined me on the blanket.

“You don’t have to.”

“I know, but it’s for the nursery. I’ll give it to you once it’s ready.” She picked up the pink palettes. “I like vanilla ice, azalea, linen, and-”

“Ecru white.”

We looked at each other and smiled. We had the same choices.

“You can add to your choices like a dust storm and rosy brown.”

“That’s ready good choices. I suppose you’re looking for a freelance job. I could really use your idea for our baby products. You have a great eye for colors. Sometimes, I had to reset my eyes repeatedly and still picked the same color combination.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“If you’re interested. We’re working on baby product designs. I want something new, fresh, attractive to kids and moms.”

“I’ll send you my samples.”

“Thanks. Gosh. I’m so glad you’re here.” I bumped her with my arm.

“Mind if I join?”

I gasped. My heart nearly stopped to hear that voice. My back stiffened. I froze for a while before taking a breath and processing. I was already alone on the blanket. Willa was on her feet faster than I was.

When I turned my head, all I saw was rugged jeans. “I’m not dreaming. I’m not dreaming. I’m not dreaming. Oh my God.” I kept repeating those words until I found the strength to get up from my seat, even if I felt my knees wobbling.

I turned around completely. My eyes widened. My mouth parted, and he was there standing and smiling at me. The same smile I fell for and the same smile I saw every morning.

“Gabriel.” I could barely hear and recognize my own voice. It was low and shaky.

“Miss me?” That cocky voice and his cocky smirk.

“Gabriel.” I didn’t know how I managed to run and throw myself into him without falling. He caught me, lifted me up, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

“God, I miss you.” He wrapped his arms around me, kissed and inhaled my neck. “Estelle.”

“I thought-” There you go again. My emotions were everywhere. My eyes began to water.

He suddenly hissed as if he was in pain. I stiffened, unwrapped my legs, and he helped my feet to the floor.

“Are you hurt?” I cupped his face. How did I not see this? “Oh, my God. Baby.” My vision blurred. Tears, these stupid tears, kept flowing like a stream. I wiped them away to see my husband’s busted face. He had bruises all over his face and might as well have a broken nose.

“I’m okay, baby. Stop crying.” He cupped my face and pressed his lips against mine. I kissed him back, and he sighed. Our sweet kiss turned into a desperate one.

I missed him. We missed each other, and I thought I wouldn’t see him again. We kissed until we needed to catch our breath. That was when we pulled apart.

“Who did this to you? Jasper?”

He shook his head. “No, baby.”

“You should see a doctor.”

“I did. I already did. I’m fine. I’m healing, but it may take weeks.”

“Weeks? Weeks?” I repeated and lifted his shirt, and that was when I saw his brace and bruises everywhere. “Oh, my God.”

Linden caught me before I fell. “Baby, breathe.”

Yeah, breathe, Estelle.

“Breathe, Estelle.”

I did as he said.

“You’re pale. You need to see a doctor.”

“I did. I already did.”

“Are you repeating my words? Or- Jesus Christ. Are you okay, baby?”

I closed my eyes for a brief moment. “Are you asking our baby or me?”

“My love, this is not the time to joke around.”

“Did she collapse again?” Willa asked. I completely forgot about her.

“What do you mean she collapsed again?” His head turned to Willa with a deep frown on his forehead, and I bit my inner cheek.

“Let me help her.” I thought it was Kye.

“Please, brother. Take her to bed.”

“I can walk,” I protested as I tried to get up.

“No walking.” He literally gave me to Kye like a baby wrapped in a blanket.

“Jeez. For a moment, I thought whoever did this to you had already hurt your ego and taken away your controlling and bossy attitude. I was wrong.”

“I was gone for a few days and thought you changed.” He chuckled. The bastard Linden was back.

“How about I’ll give you two more broken bones?”

He laughed out loud and coughed. He sounded like he had wheezing.

“Easy, brother,” Kye told him before he put me to bed. “You need to heal.”

“You need to see a doctor again, Gabriel.”

“I will, baby. For a follow-up, but I need to hold my wife first.”

When the door shut, he came to bed with me, pulled me slowly back in his arms, and kissed me.

I kissed him back. When he loosened up a bit, I bit his bottom lip hard enough to bleed.

He groaned, squeezing my butt.

When I met his angry eyes, I raised a brow. “What? Do you have any problem with me?”

He licked the spot where I bit him. It was swollen. I could still see the mark on my teeth. “What was that for?”

“For making me worry as fuck, Gabriel. For making me think that I lost you. You know what it feels like?”

“I certainly do. I felt that every second I was away from you, thinking that I might not gonna see you again and I might not get the chance to see my child.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck you, too.”